It’s not so much the food that brings people to the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, although it’s always hot and delicious — roast turkey, creamy potatoes, turkey dressing and giblet gravy, hot rolls and pumpkin pie.

The food fills the stomachs but the camaraderie fills a need as old as humankind.

Brenda Grulkey, dinner coordinator, said once again volunteers are being enlisted. The free dinner, open to all, will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 4 in the 4-H Educational Building at the Canadian County fairgrounds.

About 600 people are provided meals, she said, if last year is any indication.

“Meals will be delivered in town before the dinner starts to shut-ins, so if you have referrals, please let me know their names, address and phone number before Nov. 1, so we can eliminate duplicates,” she said.

More volunteers, cooks, servers and delivery drivers are needed. Grulkey can be reached at 262-2152. Many individual helpers take part in pulling the dinner together.

Area churches furnish the glue that holds the event together. The dinner started several years ago by an El Reno family and was held at the Elks Lodge. Later a partnership of six local churches furnished the dinner.

El Reno Ministerial Alliance picked up the banner to promote the event. Most of the churches in El Reno either provide donations or buy the food. Salvation Army pays for the turkeys. Beachler’s and Wal-Mart donate funds or provide price breaks for the food.

Financial contributions can be sent to El Reno Ministerial Alliance, marked Thanksgiving Dinner, P.O. Box 974, El Reno 73036. Whatever is left over is used as seed money for next year’s dinner.